Sunday, July 31, 2016

Geomagnetic Storm Warning for Aug. 2nd


Source - Space Weather News for July 31, 2016: http://spaceweather.com
GEOMAGNETIC STORM WARNING: NOAA forecasters estimate a 65% chance of geomagnetic storms on Aug. 2nd when a CME is expected to strike Earth's magnetic field.  A solar wind stream following close on the heels of the CME could boost storm levels to G2 (moderately strong). High latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates and more information.

Big Picture Science for Monday August 01, 2016 - On Defense













Big Picture Science - On Defense

The military is a dangerous calling.  But technology can help out, so researchers are constantly trying to make soldiers safer.  Writer Mary Roach investigates how scientists studying so-called human factors are protecting troops from such aggressive foes as heat, noise, and fatigue.  She also learns how bad odors were once considered a secret weapon.

And while soldiers have long used camouflage to help them blend in, insects may be the original masters of disguise.  A discovery in fossilized amber shows that a variety of bugs employed D.I.Y. camouflaging tricks 100 million years ago.

But where is the defense race headed?  The top-secret branch of the Pentagon whose job is to make tomorrow happen today has some ideas.  A reporter shares DARPA’s plan for augmented super-soldiers.

Plus, do we always need a technological boost to stay safe?  Find out how your innate chemical defense system protects you.  It’s an adrenaline rush!

Guests:

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/on_defense

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Chinese Rocket Disintegrates over the USA


Source - Space Weather News for July 28, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

CHINESE ROCKET DISINTEGRATES OVER THE USA: The body of an experimental Long March 7 rocket (a type of rocket expected to play a key role in the construction of a future Chinese space station) disintegrated in the atmosphere above the western USA last night.  The glowing trail was spotted from Utah, Nevada, and much of California. 

Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos, video and more information.

THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER IS BEGINNING: Earth is entering the outskirts of a broad stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Forecasters don't expect the shower to peak until Aug.11-13, but already NASA cameras are detecting Perseid fireballs streaking across the night sky as the shower slowly intensifies.

Visit http://spaceweather.com to see the first Perseid of 2016.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Big Picture Science for Monday July 25, 2016 - Musical Universe













Big Picture Science - Musical Universe

In space, no one can hear you scream, but, using the right instruments, scientists can pick up all types of cosmic vibrations – the sort we can turn into sound.  After a decade of listening, LIGO, a billion-dollar physics experiment, has detected gravitational waves caused by the collision of massive black holes, a brief shaking of spacetime that can be translated into a short squeal. 
 
We listen to the chirp of black holes crashing into each other and wonder: could the universe contain more than individual sounds, but have actual musical structure? 
 
A theoretical physicist and jazz saxophonist updates the ancient philosophical concept of the Music of the Spheres to probe the most vexing questions confronting modern cosmology.  Find out how the evolution of the universe resembles an improvisational jazz piece, and the musical inspiration John Coltrane drew from Albert Einstein.
 
Guests:

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/musical-universe

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

The Strongest Solar Flare of 2016


Source - Space Weather News for July 23, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR FLARES: Departing sunspot complex AR2565-AR2567 unleashed a pair of rapid-fire solar flares during the early hours of July 23rd. One of them was the strongest flare of the year so far.  The explosions caused shortwave radio blackouts on the dayside of Earth and may have hurled CMEs into space.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Geomagnetic Storm in Progress


Source - Space Weather News for July 20, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

GEOMAGNETIC STORM: Unexpectedly, a CME struck Earth's magnetic field during the late hours of July 19th. The impact sparked a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm that could intensify in the hours ahead as Earth passes through the CME's strongly-magnetized wake.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Big Sunspots Staring at Earth


Source - Space Weather News  for July 17, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

BIG SUNSPOTS STARING AT EARTH: Solar activity has been low for months.  That could soon change.  Two big sunspots are staring directly at Earth, and one of them has an unstable magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Images and updates are available at http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS INVADE THE USA: For the first time this summer, bright noctilucent clouds have crossed the Canadian border into the continental USA.  Formed by wisps of summertime water vapor freezing around meteor smoke, the electric-blue ripples were sighted by multiple observers in Seattle and surrounding areas. Check out the video on http://spaceweather.com.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Big Picture Science for Monday July 18, 2016 - Raising the Minimum Age













ENCORE: We all try to fight it: the inexorable march of time. The fountain of youth doesn’t exist, and all those wrinkle creams can’t help. But modern science is giving us new weapons in the fight against aging. So how far are we willing to go?

Hear when aging begins, a summary of the latest biotech research, and how a lab full of youthful worms might help humans stay healthy.

Also, a geneticist who takes a radical approach: collect the DNA that codes for longevity and restructure our genome. He finds inspiration – and perhaps genes as well – in the bi-centenarian bowhead whale.

But what if age really is mind over matter? A psychologist’s extraordinary thought experiment with septuagenarian men turns back the clock 20 years. Will it work on diseases such as cancer as well?

Guests:

This encore podcast was first released on April 6, 2015

Download blog at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Raising_the_Minimum_Age

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Big Picture Science for Monday July 11, 2016 - Microbes: Resistance is Futile












Big Picture Science - Microbes: Resistance is Futile

ENCORE: You are what you eat. Whether you dine on kimchi, carnitas, or corn dogs determines which microbes live in your stomach. And gut microbes make up only part of your total microbiome.

Find out how your microbes are the brains-without-brains that affect your health and even your mood. Also, why you and your cohorts are closer than you thought: new research suggests that you swap and adopt bugs from your social set.

Plus, the philosophical questions that are arise when we realize that we have more microbial DNA than human DNA.

And a woman who skipped soap and shampoo for a month to see what would grow on her.

Guests:

This encore podcast was first released on March 16, 2015

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Microbes_Resistance_is_Futile

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Friday, July 08, 2016

Sunset Conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon


Source - Space Weather News for July 8, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

SUNSET SKY SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west.  Jupiter and the crescent Moon are side-by-side in the sunset sky.  Try to catch them before the sky fades to black.  A bright conjunction framed by twilight blue is a beautiful sight!  Sky maps are available at http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR WIND SPARKS SOUTHERN LIGHTS: A high-speed stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field on July 8th. This is causing minor geomagnetic storms and colorful auroras in the southern hemisphere.  NOAA forecasters say there is a 50% chance of additional storms today (July 8), waning to 25% tomorrow (July 9) as Earth exits the solar wind stream.

Thursday, July 07, 2016

Noctilucent Clouds Descend to Mid-Latitudes


Source - Space Weather News for July 6, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS DESCEND TO MID-LATITUDES: Last night, noctilucent clouds descended to their lowest latitude of the 2016 season.  Electric-blue ripples were sighted over nearly a dozen European countries as far south as 46 degrees N.  These formerly-Arctic clouds are spreading as a result of climate change and may soon be spotted over the continental USA. Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

Sunday, July 03, 2016












Big Picture Science - Science Fiction True

ENCORE: Don’t believe everything you see on TV or the movies. Science fiction is just a guide to how our future might unfold. It can be misleading, as anyone who yearns for a flying car can tell you. And yet, sometimes fantasy becomes fact. Think of the prototype cellphones in Star Trek.

We take a look at science that seems inspired by filmic sci-fi, for example scientists manipulating memory as in Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And despite his famous film meltdown, Charleton Heston hasn’t stopped the Soylent company from producing what it calls the food of the future.

Plus, why eco-disaster films have the science wrong, but not in the way you might think. And, what if our brains are simply wired to accept film as fact?

Guests:

This encore podcast was first released on December 22, 2014

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Science_Fiction_True

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.











Big Picture Science - Science Fiction True

ENCORE: Don’t believe everything you see on TV or the movies. Science fiction is just a guide to how our future might unfold. It can be misleading, as anyone who yearns for a flying car can tell you. And yet, sometimes fantasy becomes fact. Think of the prototype cellphones in Star Trek.

We take a look at science that seems inspired by filmic sci-fi, for example scientists manipulating memory as in Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And despite his famous film meltdown, Charleton Heston hasn’t stopped the Soylent company from producing what it calls the food of the future.

Plus, why eco-disaster films have the science wrong, but not in the way you might think. And, what if our brains are simply wired to accept film as fact?

Guests:

This encore podcast was first released on December 22, 2014

This postcast will be released this coming Monday at: http://bigpicturescience.org/

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Friday, July 01, 2016

Crazy-Bright Auroras over Antarctica


Source - Space Weather News for July 1, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

CRAZY-BRIGHT AURORAS OVER ANTARCTICA: The sun has been without spots for more than a week, and solar activity is very low.  Nevertheless, in Antarctica the auroras have been so bright they are casting shadows and turning the snow reflected-green. What's going on? Visit Spaceweather.com for pictures and an explanation.

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS--A SIGN OF CLIMATE CHANGE?  July is often the best month for spotting noctilucent clouds and, indeed, July 1st began with a magnificent display over Europe. A new study by researchers working with NASA's AIM spacecraft suggest that these electric-blue clouds are a sign of climate change at the edge of space. Full story: http://news.spaceweather.com/climate-change-at-the-edge-of-space/